Personal computers have become mainstream computing devices for the past two decades. One of the core components of a personal computer whether desktop or laptop is a mother board, which is the central or primary circuit board providing attachment points for one or more of the following: processor (CPU), graphics card, sound card, hard disk drive controller, memory (Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM)), and other external devices. Traditionally, hard disk drives have been used as storage in a computing device.
With the advance of non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory), some attempts have been made to use non-volatile memory as the storage media of choice. Performance limitations, of the non-volatile memory, have prevented its use as primary storage memory.
Attempts to solve these problems at the card or subassembly level have employed various methods either separately, or in combination to improve the performance of the product. Approaches such as parallelism, interleaving, and various proprietary techniques, have been utilized with a controller managing multiple flash devices on a card or subassembly.
However, aside from the performance deficiencies there are problems of longevity associated with using flash memory. One of the main problems is that the life span of the flash memory is measured by number of times that the flash memory has been written (i.e., programmed) and erased. Operating systems tend to make many small alterations in memory due to the execution of programs and the storage of temporary data. An operating system characteristically exposes both of the weaknesses of non-volatile memory devices.
Thus, a need still remains for a non-volatile memory packaging system with caching that can provide enhanced performance and longevity of a non-volatile storage system. In view of the growing market in the personal computer and peripheral areas, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.